The deal marks the first such agreement since the two countries began discussing broader cooperation in shipbuilding.
The contract involves the USNS Alan Shepard, a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship weighing 41,000 tons. The work will be carried out at HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan and is expected to be completed and the vessel redelivered in November, the company said in a press release.
Joo Won-ho, the head of HD Hyundai Heavy’s naval and special ship business unit, highlighted the significance of the contract.
"This MRO contract is significant as it's the first order following the government's 'Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA)' proposal," he said, referring to a South Korean initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation with the United States.
South Korea's government proposed the $150 billion shipbuilding cooperation plan as a potential bargaining chip to counter potential tariff measures from the U.S.
The contract is the latest step in a series of efforts by HD Hyundai to deepen its ties with the United States.
The company signed a strategic partnership with Huntington Ingalls Industries, the largest U.S. defense shipbuilder, in April to collaborate on technology and joint naval ship construction. It also entered into a commercial shipbuilding partnership with the American company Edison Chouest Offshore in June.
Other South Korean shipbuilders are also pursuing U.S. market opportunities. Hanwha Ocean, another major player, won a maintenance contract for the auxiliary ship Charles Drew last month and secured two other naval maintenance contracts in 2024.
reporter
Kim Dong-young
davekim0807@ajupress.com
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
View more comments